...a blog about the pottery happenings in my life. I'm a potter, living in Los Angeles, California.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

How it, I, work(s)

It's a curious thing..the "creative process". I'm still trying to figure out my own..and most of all try to be sensitive to the steps that I need to take before I have the finished piece in my hands. I guess what I like to do, at the very beginning is give myself a problem to try and solve. My new one, which isn't really new..actually I've been working on this problem for a long time now, but the problem is this: How the hell can I freaking make these pots better?? haha..no, not exactly. The problem has a certain set of parameters. I want to work a certain way. One: Porcelain. Two: Pots. Three: Salt fired. Ok there are some parameters... now I can start to narrow in on my problem. My problem is how can I apply line, decoration, or pattern to really make a pottery form almost burst out of itself. Ok... now a really good thing, for me to do, is go back through some older pots I've made and try and see what went wrong, or what could be better... so I look. (this is me looking..dooo di dooo ohhh I like what's happening there..and there..that's not so hot... that's really bad..holy hell did I make that? HHmmmmm interesting...) And from looking..and even talking to people about some of these pots..which is so awesome when you get a good conversation about it.. then new ideas start to pop up. Oh... hmm... yes these are all so nice. What if I combined them??? WHat? Ohhh..wow, I never thought of that. Yah that sounds like a really great place to go! Alright.. now that I've got myself another parameter. Four: Combine qualities of these pots. Ok.... Now it's time to wrap my head around that idea for a little bit... so then I start to draw. Hmmmm Sweet. So the skinny lines will be sgraffito and the blue will be wax resist later to have some slip action..and that's where some sort of pooling glaze will be..AHhh yesss... (isn't this rediculous? if you've read this far you should give yourself a cookie or something nice because this is almost exactly how I talk to myself..and if it drives me mad sometimes..well, i commend you)

Now with a certain set of parameters it's going to be much easier on me to try and make something, dare I do it, NEW? Yes..making new things is both exciting and a little stressful...but it's not that hard once you begin to understand how it is that your own creative process works. Right? Right? (wow..that was a great cup of coffee I had this morning)